Omega Mine

Chapter 8

You made sure your hand was on Loki's sleeve, not his direct skin. That didn't seem to help. His presence and power were calling to you. You felt it wrap around you, like a blanket of protection and safety. "Lead the way, Elske," Loki bid you warmly, his voice that same seductive purr. Was he doing it on purpose? Or was his voice just like that? You'd find out in time.

You nodded and started the tour of the tower, with Thor trailing behind you as a chaperone. You and Loki both insisted that you didn't need a chaperone, but you knew that Thor was trying to do what was best. It was standard around an unclaimed Omega, especially when it was clear how strongly you and Loki were drawn to each other. Until you'd gone through the formalities of accepting or rejecting Loki's claim, it was best if there was a chaperone, just in case.

So you had a choice of accepting or rejecting the claim. If hormones and pheromones took control... That choice could very well be taken from you, permanently. Once an Alpha's claim was made, it was irreversible.

So better safe than sorry.

Even if it did make Loki puff up like an offended cat to have a chaperone.

"Did Agent Romanoff say you had training, Elske?" Loki asked you as you showed him the kitchen and dining room. Usually, Thor addressed women as 'Lady'. It seemed it was also appropriate for the Asgardians to use their titles. You learned something new every day. Loki's voice was polite, interested, caring. He wanted to get to know you, just as you wanted to know the Alpha who called to you so strongly.

You nodded and smiled up at him. You saw his gaze soften when you looked up into his eyes. He may be hard and puffed up around Thor, but he succumbed to an Omega's aura just like any Alpha. Though perhaps moreso as he had calmed quickly just by looking at you. "Talia insisted that I need to learn some basic self defense, especially living with the Avengers," you explained to him. Nat had given you permission to use a nickname for her and Talia had come from her full Russian name of Natalia. It was rare for Nat to allow people to use nicknames, and which nickname she allowed spoke a lot of her relationship with that person. General people she liked were allowed to call her Nat. Only Clint was allowed to call her Tasha. And only Bucky was allowed to call her Natal'ka.

Loki looked concerned. "I agree with her wholeheartedly. No one, not even a darling little omega, should be unaware of how to defend themself." He sounded so firm on the subject that you had a feeling he was going to be insisting on training you as well. You already had so many lessons with various members of the team. Nat was teaching you hand to hand self defense. Pepper had been dropping by to help you learn how to conduct yourself during interviews, galas, and press conferences. Clint was teaching you how to shoot an arrow, though that was just for fun. Bucky was teaching you how to handle a knife.

"Omegas learn such things on Asgard?" You asked him curiously. You wanted to learn more about his home world. You'd gotten a bit of information from Thor and interviews and books, but you weren't sure how much of that was true.

Loki inclined his head. "All Asgardians must learn to protect themselves at least well enough to hold off an attack until a trained warrior can come to their aid. Even the most timid Omega or most pampered noble lady,"

"Sounds like a lovely place," you said and meant it. Asgard sounded amazing from everything you'd heard about it.

You continued to chat with Loki as you showed him around the tower. You found out he liked books as much as you did and made sure to show him the library. Eventually, you cursed when you saw the time. "Sorry, Alphaloki, I've got to get to my lesson with Talia," you said, Loki's name and title coming out all one word in your rush.

Loki chuckled and took your hand in his, lifting it to his lips to kiss your knuckles. "That is quite alright, Elske," he told you warmly. "My idiot brother can finish giving me the tour," he added, partially for Thor's benefit to get a rile out of his brother. These two were going to be fun together. "And you do not need to use my title, Elskling," he reassured you. Your nickname had changed and gotten more adorable. You found you liked it.

You also saw a glint in his eyes. Oh, there were times that he wanted to hear his title spoken, but you guessed from that glint that those times were behind closed doors.

You felt yourself blush at that realization. "I'll see you later, Loki," you said softly and after saying a quick goodbye to Thor, rushed off to get changed before you were late meeting Nat . It didn't do to be upset the assassin. You liked staying on her good side.

While you were changing, you caught another look at your ring. It was nearly cracked in half. That definitely couldn't be good. It was a backup measure for the pills you took every day to make sure you didn't go into an unexpected heat. You'd had this suppression ring for years, though, so maybe it was just old? You'd have to ask Nat. She seemed to know everything and had taken it upon herself to take care of you.

You made it to the training room just in time for your lesson. "Sorry, Talia," you said, hating the idea of making her wait.

She gave you a warm smile. She was dressed in training gear as well. "You're right on time, Meimei," she reassured you.

You went over to her, tempted to nuzzle her and cuddle close. She was still presenting as an Alpha. You'd also had such a strange day with the pull to Loki that the draw to be cuddled by an Alpha was just as strong. She wrapped an arm around you when you were close enough. "Are you alright?" She asked gently.

"I don't... I've never..." your thoughts were spiraling.

Nat pulled you closer and pet your hair. "Breathe, Meimei. It's just us," she soothed. "Breathe," she was gentle as she pet your hair and soothed you, clearly knowing how to care for an upset Omega. Once your breathing had calmed, she spoke again. "Now, what's bothering you? Did Loki do something?"

You shook your head. "No, he's been perfectly polite. I just... I've never felt pulled to an Alpha like that before,"

You heard the smile in Nat's voice when she spoke again. "It's perfectly natural, Meimei. Just remember, you have a choice whether you want him to claim you or not, no matter what your instincts tell you. We'll all accept any decision you make," she reassured you.

"I... I'm not ready to make a decision yet," you admitted. You'd only just met Loki. Much as your hormones begged for you to fuck him and beg for his knot, you weren't ready for that intellectually.

"A wise decision," Nat agreed.

You looked up at her and showed her your ring. "My ring is breaking, though. I don't know if it's just old..."

"I'll get you a new one," she promised quickly, sounding more concerned than either of you wanted to admit. Suppressant rings didn't just break. "Take an extra dose of suppressants at dinner tonight, just to be safe,"

You nodded and felt more settled. With that taken care of, you finally got to your lesson, trying to put the handsome god out of your mind.

And failing miserably.